Antidepressant fluoxetine and its potential against colon tumors

Colon cancer is one of the most common tumors worldwide, with increasing incidence in developing countries. Patients treated with fluoxetine (FLX) have a reduced incidence of colon cancer, although there still remains great controversy about the nature of its effects. Here we explore the latest achievements related to FLX treatment and colon cancer. Moreover, we discuss new ideas about the mechanisms of the effects of FLX treatment in colon cancer. This leads to the hypothesis of FLX arresting colon tumor cells at the at G(1) cell-cycle phase through a control of the tumor-related energy generation machinery. We believe that the potential of FLX to act against tumor metabolism warrants further investigation. (C) 2014 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.